This application is based on application No. 11-367304 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic device which operates together with attached card-type media.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, among electronic devices (digital cameras, personal computers, music recorders, etc.) that have been put into the market, some of them are provided with medium-attaching parts (card slots) to which a plurality of cards are attached. For example, in the case of a digital camera, the digital camera has an arrangement in which two recording cards are inserted into two card slots, and when capturing an image, the captured image data is recorded in these recording cards. When these recording cards are taken out from the digital camera, first, the cover attached to the card slot is opened, and then, after removing the lock, the recording cards are taken out. When the lock has been removed, the corresponding detection of the sensor forces the digital camera to suspend access to the recording cards. Here, since the cover is commonly used for both of the card slots, switching is made between the opened state and the closed state with respect to both of the card slots. Moreover, a single lock member is used to commonly lock or commonly release both of the two card slots.
The electronic device having the above-mentioned arrangement has the following problems:
(1) It is difficult to confirm which one of the two recording cards is not being currently accessed, or being currently accessed.
(2) Both of the two cards are commonly locked regardless of whether or not it is accessed; therefore, it is not possible to take out only the card not being accessed.
(3) Even in the case when only one card has been attached to one of the card slots, the lock is applied to both of the card slots; therefore, another card cannot be inserted to the other card slot unless the lock is released.
The present invention is directed to an electronic device for executing a predetermined function using electronic data.
In an aspect of the present invention, the electronic device comprises: a plurality of medium-attaching parts to which card-type media can be attached through a plurality of openings, respectively, the plurality of openings being arranged on positions accessible from outside; and a cover movable in direction of arrangement of the plurality of openings and selectively exposing at least one of the plurality of openings.
In this electronic device, the attaching and removing operations of a card-type medium to and from a plurality of card slots are selectively carried out.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having medium-attaching parts which enables an attaching and removing operation of a card-type medium to and from one of the medium-attaching parts even with another card-type medium being attached to another medium attaching part.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent form the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.